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Hidden Scroll

Historians restoring an ancient statue of Christ have found a mystery “time capsule” dating back nearly 250 years hidden inside.

The stunned experts uncovered a hand-written scroll giving details of what life was like in the late 1700s.

It was found inside the effigy when they removed the loin cloth from around Christ’s body and noticed the secret compartment.

The two pages are said to have been written in 1777 and is signed by the clergyman of the time.

Historians say although it is not unusual to have hollow statues, it is rare to find anything hidden inside.

They believe the person who hid it, probably the sculptor himself, deliberately wanted it to be found years later, just like a time capsule, to tell the finders about the past.

The amazing discovery was made in Spain during the restoration of the figure of Christ in the Church of Santa Águeda in the municipality of Sotillo de la Ribera in Burgos within Castilla y León.

The meticulously written document is signed by the then chaplain of the Cathedral of the Burgo de Osma, Joaquín Mínguez. He identifies the author of the carving but also talks about life at the time, including economic, religious, political and cultural information.